Local
Slow and steady wins the ‘Loop’? No, not really page 3
Island Scene
A look back at County Fair 2013, in photos page 9
Guest Column
Cherry Point stands at ground zero in the tug-of-war over climate change, ready or not. page 7
Journal
The 75¢ Wednesday, August 21, 2013 Vol. 106 Issue 34
of the San Juan Islands
www.sanjuanjournal.com
Downriggers destroyed by fire Workers, businesses displaced in wake of pre-dawn inferno By Scott Rasmussen Journal editor
The collapsed roof was expected to be peeled back from the wreckage by Tuesday, allowing fire investigators to begin sifting through fire-ravaged Downriggers Restaurant in search of clues. San Juan Island Fire Department Chief Steve Marler has a strong suspicion where the answer might be found to the cause of the blaze that destroyed the long-standing waterfront restaurant in the early hours of Aug. 17. “My guess is we’ll be focusing in on the kitchen,” Marler said. “Our initial attack crews say that’s where the fire appeared to be focused in the early stages.” Flames quickly grabbed hold of the ceiling shortly after the first wave of fire fighters arrived at the scene, at about 2:40 a.m. They were forced to evacuate the building only minutes later, as the fire spread rapidly across the ceiling from one end of the building to the other, posing a risk of collapse. Over the next three hours, the inferno devoured the interior of the restaurant while firefighters prevented it from reaching offices of three other business headquartered on the bottom floor. Firefighters were still hosing down numerous hotspots and outbreaks of fire in the ceiling of the splitlevel Front Street building nearly five hours after the blaze was first reported. Firefighters from Orcas and Lopez islands, and later from Anacortes, arrived in Friday Harbor to provide backup and support in battling the blaze. For now, the cause of the fire
Term limits ‘toll’ for MRC By Steve Wehrly Journal reporter
A newly established policy that ushered in term limits to San Juan County’s numerous advisory committees could lead to a major overhaul of the MRC. Eight positions on the Marine Resources Committee will be appointed by the County Council in the coming weeks and a new MRC coordinator will soon be announced. On July 30, Philip Green, Robin Hirsch and Chuck Schietinger were appointed to MRC positions 2, 1 and 4, respectively. The See Toll, Page 4 Above, smoke billows from the ceiling and roof of Downriggers Restaurant hours after the long-standing waterfront restaurant and upper level of the Port of Friday Harbor building was destroyed by a pre-dawn blaze, Saturday, Aug. 17.
Real Estate San
Properties Bought & Sold page 19
Journal photo / Scott Rasmussen
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Juan Islands
in the
August 2013
Published the third Wednesda y of each month by the Journal of the San Juan Islands, Islands’ Sounder and Islands’
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Exceptional Waterfront
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Estate
Lanny Carver • carver@sanju 360-378-2101 • Cell: anislands.com 360-472-0922 www.lannycarver.com
105 Spring Street, PO Box 100, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
Left, flames from the Downriggers fire shoot into the sky in the early morning hours of Aug. 17. Contributed photo /Duncan Wilson
Exceptional Waterfront Custom Home. Sunny West side of San Juan Island with 180 + degree views of the Olympics, Haro Straits, Victoria Canada and Mt. Rainier. Wildlife, Whales and Sunsets in your front yard. Chefs kitchen, relaxing sun porch, Living area with fireplace & soaring beamed ceilings. Master Bedroom with spa inspired Master bath. French Doors to 55’ deck for outdoor living & dining on the water. Wine cellar, Sauna, media area, sport court. Separate Custom Guest house with the same amazing views. Two acres 277+/- frontage. #236781
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50 Spring Street, (360)378-360
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remains a matter of speculation. But the reality is that it left a summertime crew of roughly 50 Downriggers employees, along with restaurant owner Debbie Rishel, owner of the restaurant for more than 20 years, without jobs, as well as displacing Friday Harbor
Marine, San Juan Excursions and San Juan Safaris from their home base. Makeshift accommodations were made Saturday by the Town of Friday Harbor and the Port of Friday Harbor, owner of firecharred building, so that three
ground-floor businesses could continue operating over the weekend. Town officials allowed the two whale watch companies to set up along the sidewalk near Memorial Park as a base of operations, despite town regulations. See Fire, Page 4
2011 Special Award; Second Place: General Excellence from the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association
Real Estate in the San Juan Islands
See inside for July’s real estate sales, listings and statistics.